Bottle-closure.



WILLIAM E. GASTON, 0F TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

\ BOTTLE-CLOSURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. GASTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Torrington, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle- Closures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved closure member for application to bottles of various kinds, especially those of the form usually employed for containing spirituous or effervescent beverages. or liquids; and has for its object to provide a metallic securing member or cap, of the crimped or other cupshaped form, with a plastic sealing medium and also with a comparatively rigid disk or plug member, whereby the securing of the cap on the bottle end will force the plastic medium to secure the plug and positively and effectively form a seal entirely around the same to entirely prevent the escape, not only of fluid in. the bottle, but also of gas therein.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 shows the closure member as first applied to a bottle; all these views being enlarged. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the closure under the application of downward pressure. Fig. 3 shows the same with the pressure continued until the closure is in position and is crimped or secured to the bottle top B. Fig. 4 is a sect-ion through the closure member. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 6 showsthe closure member as applied to a slightly different shape of the bottle end. Fig. 7 is a view of the bottle end shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 shows the closure member without a cap.

The closure is shown as comprising three parts or members, the cap member, the relatively rigid disk or plug member, and the plastic or relatively moldable member that lies in the cap member and in which the top face of the plug member is more or less embedded.

The cap member is shown as formed of a somewhat flat cup-shaped device preferably of metal having some elasticity and may have its flange or sides fluted or crimped,

similar to the crimped seal in general use Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 20, 1916. Application filed September 3, 1910. Serial No. 580,309.

end. In the bottom portion of the cap is placed a member of suitable plastic or mobile material, preferably wax. This member covers the entire bottom of the cup member at the base of the flanges and extends a short distance I upward therefrom. This member forms a seat for the plug member or disk; and also incidentally forms a retaining medium for holding this plug or disk in the device until the article is to be used.

The plug member is preferably formed of a disk of some material comparatively rigid and hard, yet slightly resilient to conform to the inner zone of seat of packing face of the bottle-top B to form a secure closure when seated thereon and retained in such position. This disk or plug may be suitably formed of paper fiber or board highly compressed. This disk it will be observed is of considerably less diameter than the inside of the cup member, and considerably less than the diameter of the plastic material covering the bottom of the cap. But its diameter is such that it is wider than the bore of the bottle mouth it is intended to close. In practice it is made to have its edge about one-half of the distance between the inner and outer diameters of the top end of the bottle. In other words it is made sufficiently larger in diameter than the bore of the bottle end to form a secure contact or closure with the seat portion of the bottle end. And at the same time there is a considerable space left'between the periphery of the plug and the inner wall of the cup-shaped member; and this isfor the purpose of permitting the plastic or mobile sealing material to be forced down and engage substantially the entire periphery of the plug member when the closure is forced down on the bottle end to seal the bottle.

'In the construction of the device as an article of manufacture, the sealing disk or plug 2 is caused to have its inner face 3 embedded more or less in the top face of the sealing material 4 of wax or other substance, that is placed in thecap member 5. Preferably the disk is embedded in the seal ing material for a distance equal to about one-half of its thickness as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. It is desirable that a considerable thickness of the plastic material remains between the inner face of the plug and the bottom of the cap. I

In the application of this closure, as in dicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, when the cap is placed on top of the bottle, the top or outer flat face of the disk 2 will engage the seat of the bottle or the top portion adjacent the bore. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the crimped flange portion of the cap is some distance away from the bottle. Ypon pressure being now applied to the cap member in a downward direction or toward the bottle, since the plug cannot advance the plastic material will be forced downward and its downward movement being resisted by the plug and it can only How downward around the margins of the plug.- between it and the sides of the cap. to do which it must flow outwardly from the center between the plug and the top of the cap, as shown in Fig. 2. The downward pressure being continued, this flowing of the mobile sealing substance will continue until it fills the entire space between the periphery of the plug and the flange portion of the cap, and .will also flow downwardly until it engages the portion of the bottle end around and outside of that on which the plug is now seated. It will fill this entire space as shown in Fig. 3. From the latter view it will be seen that there is still some of the plastic material between the plug and the to of the cap. but that the plug is held seated on the bottle end and closed by a seal extending from its margin or periphery entirely to the portion of the bead engaged by the crimped cap. The latter is bent under the bead and secured in the usual and well known manner. Thus it will be seen that the paper cap disk is securely fastened on the seat portion of the bottle end, and entirely inclosed by the plastic material, that by the pressure employed will ntirely prevent the escape, both of the liquid contents of the bottle, and also of the gas contained therein.

In Figs. 6 and 7. the closure member is shown as applied to a slightly different form of bottle. In this case the bottle 12 has a seat portion 13 depressed below the top or end portion ll of the bottle. When the closure is applied the plug 2 will first rest on the seat 13, and then the plastic material will be forced down around the periphery of the plug and engage the entire top or end portion of the bottle beyond the seat portion that is engaged by the plug, and entirely fill the space between the closure member and the bottle end, in a similar manner to that shown in Fig. 3, except that the plastic mobile material in the closed sealed bottle will have a somewhat different shape. But the effect is the same and a securely and effectually sealed bottle is the result.

Although the two packing-zones may, as indicated in Figs. 1. 2 and 3, join on a line a', which is located in a mid-portion of the packing-face and in a relatively flat surface. still these zones are'relatively distinct 1,1ss,2es

as regards their coaction with the other parts of the complete closure. In Fig. 3 for instance, the bottle-top B is shown of a conventional form and the two said zones of the upper packing-face are conformable to the packing members 2 and l. The inner packing-zone 2 (Fig. 3) is that portion of the packing-face, or top surface, which is covered by the outer part of the disk 2, while the outer packing-zone 2 is the portion covered by the more readily moldable packing 1t, and the two said zones therefore join on a line coinciding with the outer edge n of said disk 2. Thus the joining line it of the two said zones, is in the midportion area of the packing-face. In this construction, as will now be obvious the line b (tangential to the surface 2 at line 11"), and the line n of the outer edge of disk 2, from an angle 1), a, n into' which the packing material 4, is forced and confined under pressure by the combined action of .the cap member and the resiliency of the disk 2, this being aided in some instances by a gas-pressure within the bottle.

By reason of the peculiar organization pointed out in connection with Fig. 3, the line .1 is located on a relatively flat surface and the relation between the inner portion of the zone .2 the outer surface or edge surface of the disk member 2, and the relation of the lower outer corner of said disk member, to and upon the packing-face of the bottle top are unchanged and are maintained in the same exact relation notwithstanding variations in the sizes and relative positions of the several members. For instance, in some cases it will be found that the bottle tops vary in size while in other cases. as usual in practice, itwill be impracticable to locate the disk 2 precisely centrally of the cap 5. My present improvements provide against these and other analogous variations while maintaining a strict uniformity in all respects as regards the packing and sealing effects in and adjacent to the line of demarcation between. the said inner and outer zones in the completed closure.

Having thus described my invention, ll claim:

1. In a bottle closure, the combination with a bottle-top having cap-retaining means and also having an upper packing face comprising concentric outer and inner packing zones joining on a line in a flat mid-portion area of the packing face, of a cap having attaching means for engaging said cap-retaining means of the bottle-top, a packing disk supported on said inner packing-zone and having the outer edge thereof on a line between said outer and inner'packing zones, and a moldable packing material surrounding said packing-disk and bearing downwardly upon said outer lllltl packing-zone and having at the inner line of, the outer the said outer packing-zone of said packing- 1 face. 2. In a bottle closure, the combination with a bottle-top having cap-retaining means and also having an upper packing; face comprising concentric o ter and inner packing zones joining on a line in a flat mid-portion area of the packing face, of a cap having attaching means for engaging said cap-retaining means of the bott e-top, a packing disk supported on said inner the outer edge thereof on a .line between said outer an inner packing zones, and havingthe outer edge of the disk forming an angle with, and packing-zone, and a moldable packing materlal surrounding said packing-disk andbearing against said outer zone of the packing-face and also against the outer edge of the packing disk, the cap exerting a pressure on the packing-disk through said moldable pack-' d down to seal the bottle,

metallic cap upper edge in m terial against the outer packlng-zone of said packing-face, and also into an an le between said outer zone and the outer of said disk. v

3. In a bottle closure, the'combination with a bottle mouth, of a closure comprising a cup shaped metallic cap having a flange arranged to engage the bottle mouth,

a plastic mobile material disposed in the bottom of said cup shaped metallic cap and provided with a centrally disposed cylindrical recess, and a disk composed of a rigid compressed material disposed in said cylindrical recess; the disk engaging the edge of the bottle mouth; and the plastic material when. the metallic cap is forced flowing down' into, and filling the space between, the outer periphery of the disk and the flange of the to form a seal between the of the bottle mouth and the .WILLIAM E. GASTON.

Witnesses: HULDA} M. SWENSON,

. ANNA S. GHOTZIANOFF.

disk.

material [while directly pressing this gay 

